y of the times.

The emperor Alexander, during the first years of his reign, showed a
zeal for the mental cultivation and enlightenment of his subjects,
which presented him to the eyes of admiring Europe in the light of one
of the great benefactors of mankind. Whoever will take the trouble to
follow the career of this prince closely, and contrast the shouts of
acclamation with which the world hailed him at first, with the
disesteem into which the same individual a few years afterwards
shrunk, as a weak and insignificant being,--and then again compare the
enthusiasm with which during the time of his better fortunes he was
received anew as the deliverer of Europe, with the part which was
afterwards assigned him in the system of _obscurantismus_ supposed to
be adopted by the united sovereigns of Europe,--whoever considers all
this, cannot but be struck with the small portion of discernment and
discrimination which is manifested in the world. A sober and
keen-sighted observer might have seen even in the beginning, glorious
as it was, that not all is gold that glitters. All that was done, was
accompanied with a noise and boasting which strangely imposed upon
foreigners. Universities, on the plan of the venerable institutions of
learning in Germany, were founded, where all the preparation necessary
in order to profit by them was wanting; and the profoundest sciences
were professedly taught to pupils, who were still deficient even in
elementary knowledge. We do not however mean to say, that much real
good was not done; and even if some of the new institutions were not
propitious in their immediate results, still the time has come, or
will come, when all of them are or will be at least in a measure
useful. The establishment of numerous common schools of a less
elevated character throughout the whole empire, deserves unqualified
praise. More than fifty higher schools, called gymnasia or
governmental schools, and twice as many lower or provincial schools,
were established under Alexander's reign alone.[29]

Besides the universities, eight in all, of which Alexander founded
five, there are a considerable number of professional schools; among
which are four theological academies. In the year 1823, an Institution
for the study of oriental languages was founded at St. Petersburg; and
in 1829 a similar one at Odessa, a city which has by its location more
natural advantages for the learning of Asiatic languages than any
other, and wh